Iran nuclear talks like bargaining with devilHaving missed a July deadline for reaching an agreement with Iran over its nuclear program, the six world powers party to the talks — the United States, Russia, China, France, United Kingdom and Germany — have set November 24 as their new deadline. Iran says there will be no extension if a deal isn’t reached. Given the Obama administration’s horrible record in the Middle East -- treating Israel as an enemy and Islamic dictatorships as potentia...

How our priorities changeCONWAY — Have you noticed, as I have, that over the years your priorities change? This is because one of the few constants in the universe is change. You can just count on it; stick around because things will change. With this in mind, one of the most important questions for me, and hopefully for you, is whether or not our priorities are changing for the better. I remember many years ago when I was representing Earl Nightingale and his company...

Now it's about governing, not politicsPart of the allure and fascination of politics is that you don’t know what’s going to happen until election night is over and all the votes have been counted. It is real-life, high-stakes drama. In the 1970s, it was volunteers who would call in the vote tallies from the precincts. They would be written on the blackboard and the totals calculated as the votes were called in. Nowadays we rely on the Internet to give us information on where the r...

Veterans honored at Fall FestOn Saturday, Oct. 24, Fall Fest was held in downtown Russellville. The weather was very nice and a variety of vendors, information and display booths lined the streets. I was honored to be invited to lead the Pledge of Allegiance to our flag during the opening ceremony. Thank you Betsy McGuire. As I returned to the Marine Corps League booth (Lake Dardanelle Detachment No. 1310), I became very aware of the number of hats and shirts that display...

The people rule, or micromanage?The election is over. How did you do? I’m not asking how many winners you picked. Being in the majority and being right are not the same. The question is, how well do you think you performed your hiring responsibilities? Most of us probably made a reasonably informed choice in the U.S. Senate race. Despite all the misinformation we’ve heard over the last 18 months, most of us were familiar with the candidates and had an idea of where they stoo...

Arkansas Poll mixed for state Dems, GOPLITTLE ROCK — Regardless of how they may feel about Democratic Party candidates, voters seem to be embracing a minimum wage increase that has been a key part of the party’s campaign. They feel Arkansas is generally headed in the right direction, and most are either doing about the same or better financially than they were a year ago. They love the state’s Democratic two-term governor about as much as they dislike the president from the same pa...

Granting chancesLITTLE ROCK — When our communities have the proper workforce in place for the 21st-century economy, we have the most critical piece of the economic development puzzle. But building a vibrant economy does not end there. The state has tools and resources that local leaders can utilize to not only improve their communities for residents, but also to attract businesses. Among these resources are several grant programs administered by the Arkansas ...

Reader Feedback: Arkansas Minimum Wage InitiativeHere are the results from a website poll on the proposed Arkansas Minimum Wage Initiative on the November general elction ballot. couriernews.com online polls are not intended to be a scientific sample of local or national opinion. Instead, they are a way for readers to share their views on the news with The Courier and fellow website users.

Man’s dog helps police bust him on drug chargePolice in central Alabama said a man’s own dog helped officers bust him on a drug charge. Prattville Police spokeswoman Paula Barlow said the pooch named Bo followed his fleeing master, who was being pursued by officers. When the dog stopped and wagged his tail in tall grass, she said, officers found and arrested Edwin Henderson. Barlow said the chase began when two drug officers arrived Wednesday with a search warrant and Henderson took off r...

A strong national defenseI believe nothing is more important to our national defense than the welfare of military families. As with any organization, business, civic, etc., the personnel (which includes family) are always identified as that organization’s greatest asset. However, the leadership of those entities do not always put their money where their mouth is. Hardware and other things often take precedence for continually shrinking funds. Current pending sequestra...

Election officials still must ID votersAfter the Arkansas voter identification law was declared unconstitutional just before general election voting began, some confusion has ensued about what citizens would face at their polling places. After writing a column on the subject last weekend, I received several questions and comments. Some were from people who want to argue about the need for such a law. Those arguments will have to be postponed because the Arkansas Supreme Court has r...

Support for Plains and Eastern Clean Line ProjectAs one of Arkansas’ largest heavy industrial infrastructure contractors, we would like to express support for the Plains and Eastern Clean Line Project. This transmission project benefits Arkansas by creating new jobs, stimulating economic development, diversifying Arkansas electrical generation mix and improving system reliability. Low-cost electricity has been a major driver of economic development in Arkansas and the region, supporting the ...

Re-elect Alderman Mark TrippI would like to thank Alderman Mark Tripp, a true asset to our community, for his well-served time on our Russellville City Council and encourage fellow Russellville residents to re-elect him to his current position. He has a giving heart and is equally giving of his time, making himself readily available to serve our community with integrity and honesty. Many times I have contacted Mark Tripp regarding issues large and small, and no matter th...

Jeb Bush and taxes — read my lips, part IIGov. Jeb Bush (R-FL.) is thinking seriously about running for president in 2016, according to his son, George P. Bush. According to Commentary magazine, Jeb Bush had an impressive record as governor, including tax reductions totaling $20 billion. Given that performance, why is Grover Norquist, president of Americans for Tax Reform, upset? Politico, and many others, assert it’s because of an answer Bush gave in 2012 to a hypothetical question p...

Local optionIt is interesting that all the ads concerning “local rights” are 99 percent paid for by the liquor stores in “wet counties,” trying to save citizens from the horror of being able to buy beer or liquor locally and take it home to consume. (It is fine with them as long as we drive to where they are and bring it home, though.) They are saying you are going to have liquor stores next to schools and churches. I’m not an expert on business but two t...

Deborah DeJohnette for City CouncilDeborah DeJohnette has been a resident of Russellville for over 20 years, and now she is a candidate for City Council in Ward 4 Position 2. She is dedicated to serving her community and the citizens of Russellville. Her top goals include addressing the concerns of her community, bringing jobs to Russellville and working with the leaders of Russellville to do what’s best for its citizens. I hope you will read her Q&A in The Courier and consider...

Communion on the moonCONWAY — In view of the fact that today there are people in America who would like to remove all references to public religious or spiritual matters from our society, I am proud to say they have an uphill, and really impossible, battle. I say this because religious freedom is one of the main reasons our country was founded. With these thoughts in mind, I want to tell you about “Communion on the Moon” and I checked it out with Snopes and they s...

Get out and votePlease exercise your right to vote! Our forefathers, parents, grandparents and countless military men and women have sacrificed to insure our freedom and right to vote and choose who will lead us forward to provide for our future, better health and welfare for all. We owe it to our predecessors, our children and the future for our grandchildren to vote and then support whichever candidates are elected. We all need to try to work together and e...

Issue 4Recently an ad against Issue 4 included a claim that if the Arkansas Alcoholic Beverage Initiative is passed, counties would have “no choice” regarding alcohol sales. I found this ironic, as those against the issue want to take away the choice of people to shop locally. I looked online at the details of the proposal. According to the website, the “Arkansas General Assembly would be tasked with regulating the manufacture, sale distribution and ...

Jazz AmbassadorsFirst let me say thank you for being one of the sponsors that helped to bring the United States Army’s Jazz Ambassadors to Russellville and the Center for the Arts this past Saturday evening. It was quite an enjoyable evening of jazz music, featuring selections from the past 100 years of jazz, which included numbers composed by Count Basie, Glen Miller, Leonard Bernstein and even a New Orleans Dixieland compilation that had everyone’s toes tap...